"Mommy, I'm Bored" ....solutions! Carnival Posts (Part 4)

Every parent has heard this before. But some kids are bored more often than others. For a child that is always bored, there is something missing in life. Often parents think what is missing is peers. They need friends to play with. While friends can be fun and healthy in the right doses, they are not a cure for boredom. According to Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Mate in the book Hold On To Your Kids:

What are the true causes of boredom? The void that is felt in boredom is not a lack of stimulation or social activity, as is typically assumed. Children become bored when their attachment instincts are not sufficiently engaged and when their sense of self does not emerge to fill this void. It is like being in neutral, on hold, waiting for life to begin... In other words, the hole that is usually experienced as boredom is the result of a double void of attachment and emergence: the child is not with someone with whom he can attach and feel comfortable, and, on the other hand, he lacks sufficient curiousity and imagination to spend time creatively on his own.

So how can you help your child say goodbye to boredom? Start by fostering a strong attachment, much of which can come from play (see Beyond the Baby B's: Attachment Through Play). But what to play? Parents are not all entertainment experts and we can often run out of ideas. It isn't our job to keep our children entertained all of the time, but we can help to spice up their world and introduce them to new things that will help spark their creativity and imagination.

To do that, check out the ideas in some of these great posts that were written for the Carnival:

• Dance: Check out a fun post on parents dancing with their children @ Play Activities


• Ball: Passing down the passion for a good ball game @ a Little Bit of Momsense


• Playdough: Have fun molding things into great shapes with this playdough recipe from @ Planning with Kids


• Games: Some fun ideas for great games to play with kids @ Because Babies Grow Up


• Water Play: When in doubt, get wet! Check out these bath play ideas and cleaning up ideas from @Barely Knit Together


• Books: Getting lost in a great book can be play too and sparks kids imaginations. Read about the magic of books in Reading is Playtime @ No Time for Flash Cards (including a link to book recommendations) and check out 10 ways to play with books @ Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile


• Kitchen Fun: Get your kids involved in the kitchen either for real or through imaginative kitchen and cooking play using ideas from Pretend Play @ Rhymes and More and playing pizzeria in Thoughts on Imaginative Play @ Katherine Marie Photography. Don't forget that making mealtime fun can also bring out the giggles and get your kids more interested in eating healthy food. For ideas, check out Play is the Secret Ingredient for Success at Mealtime @ Little Stomaks.


• Arts and Crafts: Check out lots of great ideas in the Carnival of Play's Arts & Crafts Play post


• Fun & Games for the Whole Family: If you like lists of ideas, check out the great list in The Importance of Play (for Parents) @ a Magical Childhood and learn about why play is important for mom and dad too.


• Pretend Play: Use your imagination and some fun props with suggestions from Props for Pretend Play @ The Wonder Years.

Now you can't complain that you're bored anymore! ;)

The Carnival of Play Continues…

Did you like these posts? If so, give them a Stumble, tweet about them, share them on your blog!

There is lots more to come! If I haven’t featured your post yet, thank you for posting it and it will be featured during the carnival. I am doing a few theme-based posts, so if your post fits into a theme that I have planned, I may have pegged it for a specific post.

If you haven't participated yet, it isn't too late! Go back to the introductory post to learn about all the ways you can get involved.

Comments

[Allie]

Awesome collection of sites, seriously some of the very best online ! Your carnival has been wonderful and focused perfectly on developmentally appropriate play. Good Job!

Thanks for putting it all together!